Contents

Depressed

Wrinkling his brow, he glared spacily at the blank parchment, awaiting the right words to enter his head. Today was his moment of truth, the day he announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United Republic. The problem resided in the words, he was giving a formal speech, and was unsure of how to start it. A competent judge who fairly sentenced criminals, and a world renowned poet, Ako could not write a formal address for the sake of his life.

It was then he decided to wing it, he had in the past, and was fairly certain his words sounded better, more natural, coming from the top of his head. He did well under pressure, and could use his charm to earn himself anyone's vote. Unbeknownst to the citizens of Republic City, Ako kept an enormous secret on him at all times. He was Amon, a revered criminal, sometimes labeled a terrorist, who had not been seen in 15 years.

Some people said he had died during his brother's suicide, others said he roamed the earth, a refugee. They were wrong, as he was now known as Ako, the grand judge of the United Republic of Nations court circuit, Ako, great scholar and talented poet. Ako had an ambitious goal, to lead the United Republic of Nations to prosperity.

In recent years, Republic City had troubles with crime, as well as corruption. Three triads, the Agni Kais, the No Bend Nightmares, and the World Wide Weapons ran the city, paying off officials to turn the other cheek, and even keeping some of the police under their payrolls. The three-way war unraveling between them were causing civilian casualties all over the place, and it was no longer considered safe to be on the streets after dark. Wealthy families were fighting for economic control, liquidating assets strategically and causing a collapse of the once prosperous economy. Criminals were murdering parents, leaving children to fend for themselves. Ako planned to put a stop to this, to clean up these streets. If he had to manipulate some people to do so, he didn't mind.

Through his connivery, Ako managed to amass a mountainous following. Supporters from all over the globe, including the Fire Lady, and the Avatar Korra, endorsed him as the figure that Republic City and the United Republic of Nations needed. He wouldn't officially announce his candidacy for the spring time elections until tomorrow, however.

Comfortably lounging in his black, leather suede chair, he stared into his own eyes in the mirror that lay in front of him. Through his steady glare, he reflected the events taking place in his life up until that moment in time. His humble birth as Noatak, his abuse at the hands of his father, criminal mastermind, Yakone, his life in Republic City after running away from the Northern Water Tribe, his movement, the massive following, and the ideals upon which it all stood, The Equalists, as well as his gracious follower who he had sacrificed in the name of the cause, The Lieutenant, who's horrified face still haunted him to this very day, his defeat at the hands of the teenaged Avatar, his reunion with his brother, which cultivated in his brother's tragic suicide, on the way attempting to murder him, his travels around the world, and his journey for knowledge and wisdom following his defeat, as well as his rise to prominence in Republic City under his latest alias, Ako.

Ako carried a lot of emotional scars with him, as expected for someone of his stature, leading to a minor case of depression. The sad thoughts, however, were left for the confines of his home. Outside of his home, he remained an important politician, and his sole focus was bringing a change to Republic City, restoring it to its former greatness.

Yesterday was election day, and Ako was prepared to give his acceptance speech. He had won the race with an overwhelming majority. Ako was expected to be happy, but presently was not. In the months since he started campaigning, Ako's depression had gotten worse, and he had now turned to alcoholism as a method of coping with his problems. Now highly intoxicated, Ako was having trouble walking. Stumbling over to his suede chair, he leaned on it, supporting himself. His mind was racing with images of his troublesome life, and tears started flowing down his face. He turned to the mirror, and began to shout distinguishable curses at his reflection. He picked up an empty bottle of beer, and chucked it towards the mirror, shattering the glass.

As the glass rained from the wall, Ako glared at a large chunk of mirror which landed on his desk. In it, he saw his brother. His brother asked him, had he really forgotten his birthday, or was he trying to drown it out. Tarrlok, his brother, asked him why he never intervened during dad's beatings, why Ako had never stood up for him. Ako shouted gibberish, and flipped off the mirror. Tarrlok's face morphed into his Yakone's. Yakone questioned Ako's resolve, he asked Ako why he let his brother down. He spat towards Ako, calling him a disgrace of a son. Ako fell to his knees, buckling from the stress and pressure he was under, combined with the effects from the alcohol.

Ako tried to explain it wasn't his fault, but to no avail. His dad wouldn't hear it. He was a disgrace of a son, who would never amount to anything. From there, his dad morphed into the Lieutenant. All he could hear was the Lieutenant's screams. He closed his eyes, and plugged his ears, to no avail, he could still hear it, and he was staring right into the Lieutenants terrified face. Then, it all went black. They were gone, and he wanted to be as well. He opened his eyes, and could taste the salt. He reached for a shard of glass on the ground, and ended himself. He muttered: "Tarrlok".

Author's note

I originally wrote this to be the prologue for a story, but adapted it into a one-shot for the contest. Also, I experimented with dialogue for the discussion at the end, but decided that it changed the mood.

I wrote this story because I deal with depression myself, and many people in my family deal with alcoholism. I decided I could morph these together to make an emotionally gripping story. I hope you liked it, thanks for reading.
--Suzon99(talk • contribs) 00:45, October 8, 2014 (UTC)